NPPR Article and Review Awards

NPPR Article and Review Awards were established with aims to pursue the development of Neuropsychopharmacology. Articles are selected based mainly on metrics, such as the number of citations and downloads.

 2025

Review Awards

Antidepressants for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Role of uric acid in neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on Alzheimer and Parkinson disease: A new perspective

Topiramate and other kainate receptor antagonists for depression: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Pharmacological management of neurocognitive impairment in schizophrenia: A narrative review

The new guideline for evaluating effects of psychotropic drugs on the performance to drive a motor vehicle in Japan: Comparison with US FDA guideline

Article Awards

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on oxidative stress biomarkers, depression, and anxiety symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis

The relationship between dietary patterns and insomnia in young women

The relationship of stress coping styles on substance use, depressive symptoms, and personality traits of nurses in higher education institution

Efficacy and safety of adding fluoxetine to the treatment regimen of hospitalized patients with non-critical COVID-19 pneumonia: A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of single and multiple doses of zuranolone in Japanese and White healthy subjects: A phase 1 clinical trial

Findings of ¹⁸F-PI-2620 tau PET imaging in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and healthy controls in relation to the plasma P-tau181 levels in a Japanese sample

Age at onset of alcohol consumption and its association with alcohol misuse in adulthood

Ifenprodil for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder: An exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Safety and tolerability of aripiprazole in patients with psychosis associated with Parkinson's disease—Results of a multicenter open trial

Phenobarbital versus benzodiazepines in alcohol withdrawal syndrome

A cohort study comparing the effects of medical cannabis for anxiety patients with and without comorbid sleep disturbance

Japanese Society of Anxiety and Related Disorders/Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology: Clinical practice guideline for social anxiety disorder (2021)

Caffeine facilitates extinction of auditory fear conditioning in rats

Development and acceptability of a decision aid for major depressive disorder considering discontinuation of antidepressant treatment after remission

Identification of factors associated with the efficacy of atomoxetine in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

A 12-session relapse prevention program vs psychoeducation in the treatment of Japanese alcoholic patients: A randomized controlled trial

Development of individual fitness score for conformity of prescriptions to the “Guidelines For Pharmacological Therapy of Schizophrenia”

Attention-deficit hyperactivity symptoms and risk of alcohol use relapse

 2024

Review Awards

Pain-focused psychological interventions in women with endometriosis: A systematic review

Outcomes frequently specified in Cochrane reviews of community-based psychosocial interventions for adults with severe mental illness: A systematic search and narrative synthesis

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of quetiapine and lithium for bipolar depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The potential beneficial effect of sleep deprivation following traumatic events to preventing PTSD: Review of current insight regarding sleep, memory, and trauma resonating with ancient rituals—Àìsùn Oku (African) and Tsuya (Japanese)

Article Awards

Similarity of subjective symptoms between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: Preliminary findings

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor predominantly regulates the expression of synapse-related genes in the striatum: Insights from in vitro transcriptomics

No adverse events were observed in clozapine-treated patients on extended hematologic monitoring intervals during the coronavirus pandemic in four psychiatric centers in Japan

Severe and long-lasting neuropsychiatric symptoms after mild respiratory symptoms caused by COVID-19: A case report

Evaluation of a natural S-equol supplement in treating premenstrual symptoms and the effect of the gut microbiota: An open-label pilot study

Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation technique on anxiety caused by Covid-19 in pregnant women: A randomized clinical trial

Plasma neuropeptide levels in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder and healthy controls: A multiplex immunoassay study

Possible utilization of salivary IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio as a marker of chronic stress in healthy individuals

The neural differences of arithmetic verification performance depend on math skill: Evidence from event-related potential

Chemogenetic suppression of anterior cingulate cortical neurons projecting to the visual cortex disrupts attentional behavior in mice

Dietary magnesium deficiency induces the expression of neuroinflammation-related genes in mouse brain

Accelerated long-term forgetting is a BACE1 inhibitor-reversible incipient cognitive phenotype in Alzheimer’s disease model mice

Pregabalin withdrawal in patients without psychiatric disorders taking a regular dose of pregabalin: A case series and literature review

Transcranial magnetic stimulation modalities for psychiatric disorders: Publication trends from 1985 to 2019

Development of attentional networks during childhood and adolescence: A functional MRI study

COVID-19 vaccination did not improve employee mental health: A prospective study in an early phase of vaccination in Japan

A case report: Clozapine-induced leukopenia and neutropenia after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Aripiprazole LAI two-injection start in a 16 year-old adolescent with schizophrenia

Residual effects of low dose of suvorexant, zolpidem, and ramelteon in healthy elderly subjects: A randomized double-blind study

Anxiety due to COVID-19 among healthcare providers during pandemic: A web-based cross-sectional survey in Iran

 2023

Review Awards

Neuropharmacology of Antiseizure Drugs

Discovery research and development history of the dopamine D₂ receptor partial agonists, aripiprazole and brexpiprazole

Examination of the influence of cedar fragrance on cognitive function and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in Alzheimer type dementia

Evidence-based insomnia treatment strategy using novel orexin antagonists: A review

Psycho-educational interventions focused on maternal or infant sleep for pregnant women to prevent the onset of antenatal and postnatal depression: A systematic review

Recent findings on subjective well-being and physical, psychiatric, and social comorbidities in individuals with schizophrenia: A literature review

Current and potential pharmacological treatment options for insomnia in patients with alcohol use disorder in recovery

Article Awards

An initial analysis of the UK Medical Cannabis Registry: Outcomes analysis of first 129 patients

Care difficulties and burden during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns among caregivers of people with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

Serum level of soluble interleukin 6 receptor is a useful biomarker for identification of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder

Prevalence of corona-associated anxiety and mental health disorder among dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Improvements in the degree of understanding the treatment guidelines for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder in a nationwide dissemination and implementation study

Gut permeability and its clinical relevance in schizophrenia

Functional connectivity between the amygdala and subgenual cingulate gyrus predicts the antidepressant effects of ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression

Noradrenaline enhances the excitatory effects of dopamine on medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons in rats

Association between the examination rate of treatment-resistant schizophrenia and the clozapine prescription rate in a nationwide dissemination and implementation study

Contributions of HFE polymorphisms to brain and blood iron load, and their links to cognitive and motor function in healthy adults

Decreased nesting behavior, selective increases in locomotor activity in a novel environment, and paradoxically increased open arm exploration in Neurogranin knockout mice

Inter-breeder differences in prepulse inhibition deficits of C57BL/6J mice in a maternal immune activation model

Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) are associated with cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia

Stress increases blood beta-hydroxybutyrate levels and prefrontal cortex NLRP3 activity jointly in a rodent model

Hypoprolactinemia and hyperprolactinemia in male schizophrenia patients treated with aripiprazole and risperidone and their relationships with testosterone levels

Acute and chronic effects of oral administration of a medium-chain fatty acid, capric acid, on locomotor activity and anxiety-like and depression-related behaviors in adult male C57BL/6J mice

Intracerebroventricular administration of oxytocin and intranasal administration of the oxytocin derivative improve β-amyloid peptide (25–35)-induced memory impairment in mice

Discrepancies in Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale III profile in adult with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Critical role of GRP receptor–expressing neurons in the spinal transmission of imiquimod-induced psoriatic itch

Usefulness of heart rate variability indices in assessing the risk of an unsuccessful return to work after sick leave in depressed patients

Effects of physical activity and melatonin on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cytokine expression in the cerebellum of high-fat diet-fed rats

Effects of age and sex on eye movement characteristics

Subjective assessment of participants in education programs on clinical practice guidelines in the field of psychiatry

Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of lurasidone for acute schizophrenia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of phase 3 trials in Japan

Elevated depressive symptoms among newer and younger healthcare workers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic

Development and acceptability of a decision aid for chronic insomnia considering discontinuation of benzodiazepine hypnotics

Correlation of BDNF, VEGF, TNF-α, and S100B with cognitive impairments in chronic, medicated schizophrenia patients

Oxytocin treatment improves dexamethasone-induced depression-like symptoms associated with enhancement of hippocampal CREB-BDNF signaling in female mice

2022

Review Awards

Eye movement characteristics in schizophrenia: A recent update with clinical implications

Raising awareness of suicide prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic

SSRIs: Applications in inflammatory lung disease and implications for COVID-19

PET technology for drug development in psychiatry

Article Awards

Anxiety and Depression in Health Workers and General Population During COVID-19 in IRAN: A Cross-Sectional Study

Post-COVID-19 fatigue and anhedonia: A cross-sectional study and their correlation to post-recovery period

Brexpiprazole has a low risk of dopamine D₂ receptor sensitization and inhibits rebound phenomena related to D₂ and serotonin 5-HT_2A receptors in rats

Blonanserin versus haloperidol in Japanese patients with schizophrenia: A phase 3, 8-week, double-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled study

Transcriptomic evidence for immaturity induced by antidepressant fluoxetine in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Differential effects of stress exposure via two types of restraint apparatuses on behavior and plasma corticosterone level in inbred male BALB/cAJcl mice

Dietary heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 (SBL88™) improves hippocampus-dependent memory performance and adult hippocampal neurogenesis

Effects of chronic fentanyl administration on behavioral characteristics of mice

Validity of self-reporting depression in the Tabari cohort study population

Open source code for behavior analysis in rodents

Dietary intake of glucoraphanin during pregnancy and lactation prevents the behavioral abnormalities in the offspring after maternal immune activation

Decreased bone mineral density in ovariectomized mice is ameliorated after subsequent repeated intermittent administration of (R)-ketamine, but not (S)-ketamine

Efficacy and safety of lithium and lamotrigine for the maintenance treatment of clinically stable patients with bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials with an enrichment design

Regulatory system of mGluR group II in the nucleus accumbens for methamphetamine-induced dopamine increase by the medial prefrontal cortex

Study of effects of ifenprodil in patients with methamphetamine dependence: Protocol for an exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

2021

Review Awards

Hippocampal subregion abnormalities in schizophrenia: A systematic review of structural and physiological imaging studies

Alteration in AMPA receptor subunit expression and receptor binding among patients with addictive disorders: A systematic review of human postmortem studies

Article Awards

Bee honey protects astrocytes against oxidative stress: A preliminary in vitro investigation

Prefrontal cortex infusion of beta-hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, produces antidepressant-like effects in a rodent model of depression

Risk factors for pneumonia in patients with schizophrenia

Prescription patterns in patients with schizophrenia in Japan: First-quality indicator data from the survey of “Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in psychiatric treatment (EGUIDE)” project

Gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase genetic polymorphism is a candidate locus for responsiveness to opioid analgesics in patients with cancer pain: An exploratory study